


Come and Save My Day

by Avery_Kedavra



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders is a Sweetheart, Caring Logic | Logan Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders Angst, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders Needs a Hug, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, I WILL GIVE HIM THE FLUFF AND LOVE HE DESERVES, IT'S ROMANS BIRTHDAY YALL, Insecure Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Light Angst, Morality | Patton Sanders is a Good Friend, Sympathetic Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, Sympathetic Deceit | Janus Sanders, You cannot stop me, basically he's sad and the other sides are helpful
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-04
Updated: 2020-06-04
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:01:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24539668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Avery_Kedavra/pseuds/Avery_Kedavra
Summary: Since the last video, Roman hasn’t left the Imagination. When his brother drags him out, he receives the last thing he expected.
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil & Creativity | Roman & Deceit & Logic | Logan & Morality | Patton & Thomas Sanders, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders & Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders & Deceit | Janus Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders & Logic | Logan Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders & Morality | Patton Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders & Thomas Sanders
Comments: 17
Kudos: 307





	Come and Save My Day

**Author's Note:**

> Happy birthday, Roman Sanders, my wonderful dramatic boy! Did you think I wouldn’t write him the fluff and love he deserves? Here we go, happy time for Creativity! Just let me sprinkle in a bit of angst at the beginning…um, some more angst…okay, a lot of angst but I swear it gets fluffy again, I swear–-
> 
> (Title is from Superstar by MARINA.)
> 
> Yell at me on Tumblr at @averykedavra!

Patton hadn’t been able get Roman out of his room. He’d slid cookies under the door and apologized over and over. Nothing.

Virgil hadn’t been able to get Roman out of his room. He’d teased Roman for sulking and pleaded with him to come out. Nothing.

Logan hadn’t been able to get Roman out of his room. He’d detailed the long-term benefits of social interaction. Nothing.

Janus hadn’t been able to get Roman out of his room, because he hadn’t tried. He had a feeling his presence would only make the situation worse.

Thomas hadn’t been able to get Roman out of his room. Roman didn’t respond to any summons, any calls. He was still doing his job, at least, but creating wasn’t the same without Roman by his side.

What they didn’t realize was that Roman wasn’t in his room. He’d traveled to the Imagination as soon as that disaster of a video was over, and he hadn’t come back since. He’d marched into town, grabbed his sword, and proceeded to slay every dragon in the near vicinity. When he ran out of dragons, he stabbed trolls. When he ran out of trolls, he defeated witches. When he ran out of witches, he attacked manticores and chimeras and hydras and lions. When he ran out of those, he just tore dummies to shreds until the castle floor was littered with straw.

He didn’t know how long it had been. Time worked differently in the Imagination, anyway. He’d eaten, right? Two, maybe three days ago? He definitely hadn’t slept in a while. But it was fine. It was fine! He could snap away the dark circles under his eyes and conjure up a fresh uniform every day. As long as he hid in here, the real world didn’t exist. He could be a hero here.

Not like out there.

He wasn’t anybody’s hero out there.

And no saved imaginary kingdoms could change that.

The townspeople left him alone, except when they begged for his assistance. On a better day he’d seek them out, talk with his favorite creations, attend a performance or join someone for drinks. He was popular here, charming, everyone’s favorite. He created them. There was no way for him to let them down, because they did whatever he wanted. Everyone loved him. Because he made it that way.

These days, even the _thought_ of surrounding himself with fake love and crafted smiles made him shudder. He didn’t want that. Not now. It was just another layer of fantasy, pretending that he was worth something, desperately creating other worlds where things just made more sense.

It was lying, really.

That’s why he’d always been kinder to Deceit–- _Janus_ -–than the others. He understood the importance of lying, how it was woven into creativity. Sometimes you needed to protect yourself or someone else and lying was the best way to do that.

Of course, Patton didn’t like that. And Roman’s opinion didn’t matter compared to Patton’s. Patton knew better, Roman knew that. So he shoved his dreams into a box, lied to defeat the liar, and blindly followed Patton’s lead.

And Patton…was wrong. And Patton apologized. And all Roman’s sacrifices were for nothing. He tore himself to pieces for his best friend, because he trusted him, and apparently Roman couldn’t trust anyone at all. Not Patton’s love or Thomas’ kindness or Janus’ honesty. _Nothing._

Or maybe they just didn’t trust _him._

That would make more sense.

Well, if they didn’t want him, Roman wouldn’t force himself into their lives. He’d hang out in the Imagination forever, giving Thomas ideas that were never perfect, slaying fake monsters and eating fake food and wearing a fake costume and being a fake hero and a fake prince. Fake was better than nothing. Drifting around a make-believe land, time dripping through his fingers, was better than the cold slicing pain of reality.

He spent days and days apart, and one day his castle got a visitor.

Not the usual kind of visitor, either. Usually the townspeople knocked on the door. They didn’t appear hanging from the chandelier as Roman had yet another session of what he called ‘lie on the floor of the throne room and contemplate existence.’

“Hey, Ro-Bro, you alive?”

Remus chucked a stick of deodorant at Roman’s face. Roman didn’t bother to move out of the way, and it bounced off his forehead.

Remus winced. “Yikes. You’re not making the best case for being alive.”

Roman groaned and eased himself into a sitting position. “What do you want, Remus?”

“Me? Oh, nothing.” Remus grabbed one side of the chandelier and swung from it like Tarzan. “I’ve always wanted to do this ever since I heard that song.”

Roman watched him swing back and forth. The entire chandelier creaked and plummeted to the ground, sending glass everywhere. Remus jumped up from the center, unharmed, with a huge grin on his face,

“Nice!” he said. “Shame you didn’t make that thing person-ready.”

“Can’t say it crossed my mind,” Roman admitted, snapping his fingers and vanishing the glass.

“That’s why I’m the better twin.”

“Yeah.”

Remus frowned at him, looking disconcerted. The expression was gone in a second, though. “Anyway, I’m here to deliver a message, kind of.”

“Kind of?” Roman asked. “Wait, what’s the message?”

“It’s less of a message and more of a package.” Remus giggled. “Heh, package.”

“What are you talking about?” Roman stood up, ignoring the way his limbs ached. “This had better not be another batch of feral cats, Remus.”

“Oh, good idea!” Remus shook his head. “But nah. That’s not the message.”

“Then what is it?”

Remus smiled and grabbed Roman’s arm. “You.”

“ _What?_ ”

Remus grabbed his sword and slashed through the air. The scene around them peeled away. Colors swirled through the gaps, melting and twisting like little snakes. Remus pulled Roman forward, his face sketchy, their hands about to unravel. A symphony of scarlet and a burst of green, surrounded by watercolors ponderously unraveling.

Then the colors sunk into place, and Roman was yanked into the Commons by his arm.

“Ow,” Roman yelled, snatching his arm away from Remus. “That hurt! Remus, what the f–”

“Message delivered!” Remus proclaimed, ignoring Roman’s annoyance. “You’re welcome, and I expect the deodorant delivery by tomorrow at the latest!”

Roman glanced up, and froze.

He was standing in the Commons’ kitchen…and so were Patton, Logan, Virgil, and Janus. The lights were turned off, and their faces cast in shadow.

“Hey…” Roman said, already wincing and bracing for the storm. “…guys. I know what you’re gonna say, but I swear–”

“What are we going to say?” Patton asked.

“Um…” Roman shifted, staring at his hands. "Well, that, you know, I was mean? ‘Cause I was. I know that. And I promise I’m okay, we can just–I don’t know, move past it? I’ll stay in my room and you’ll handle everything and I won’t get in the way or anything–”

“Wrong.” Virgil’s voice was firm. “Like, really, _really_ wrong.”

Logan reached over and turned on the lights.

The first thing Roman saw was the party hats. The second was the large cake on the kitchen table, unlit candles making a smily face. The third thing he noticed was the banner hung crookedly across the kitchen cabinets, reading _Happy Birthday Roman._

_Happy Birthday._

_…Roman?_

Roman clapped a hand to his mouth and stared, telling himself this was just a dream, a trick, another layer of the fantasies he’d surrounded himself with.

But he couldn’t make this up. Not the details. Not the slightly lopsided icing on the cake, the way Logan’s and Janus’ party hats were crumpled like they’d been forced into them, the slapdash lettering on the sign.

“Happy birthday, Princey.” Virgil was smiling.

“It’s–” Roman’s voice cracked. “Wait, it’s my birthday?”

“It is June 4th, which is the birthday the fans, and us, decided on.” Logan gestured to the sign. “So…we decided to throw you a party.”

“ _Some_ of us were forced into it,” Janus added, but he didn’t look that irritated.

“So?” Patton bounced on the balls of his feet. “Do you like it?”

“ _Like_ it?” Roman repeated. “Pat, it’s–-I, I thought I messed everything up, I thought–”

“And that we’d hate you for your mistake?” Janus rolled his eyes. “Yes, because the _rest_ of us have always been perfect and kind.”

“Kiddo.” Patton’s smile was soft. “Kiddo, it’s okay. You’re sorry, we’re sorry. You’re okay now.”

Roman tried to smile back, but his voice caught in his throat. He wiped at his eyes and swallowed hard.

“Th- _thank_ you.” Roman’s voice shook, but he didn’t mind. “You don’t know how much this means to me.”

“Come on!” Virgil motioned to the cake. “Let’s eat. Logan, you light the candles while I hide on the counter so they don’t burn me.”

Logan huffed. “Now that we’ve done the surprise, can I please take off this ridiculous party hat?”

Patton smiled. “Nope!”

“Worth a shot.”

“Hey, bro?”

Roman whirled. He’d forgotten Remus was still there. Remus had a strange expression on his face and lurked uncomfortably in the corner.

“Happy birthday,” Remus said slowly. “Have fun.”

As he began to sink out, Roman made a decision.

“Stick around!” he said, grabbing Remus’ arm and pulling him towards the kitchen. “There’s more than enough cake!”

Remus made a surprised squeak. But after a second, his face split into a huge grin. And Roman grinned back.

Logan lit the candles and Roman sat in the chair, watching them flicker. Virgil, true to form, had indeed climbed on the counter and watched the fire warily. Roman quickly blew the candles out, not even bothering to make a wish. Virgil’s shoulders slumped with relief and he slid off the counter.

Logan cut the cake into six equal pieces and dumped each one on a plastic plate. Janus sliced his cake slice into small wafers and ate them delicately. Logan did the same. Patton and Virgil ate their cake in chunks, and Remus just stuffed the whole thing in his face.

Roman almost fainted when the cake hit his tongue. It was chocolately and wonderful. He hadn’t eaten anything this good in ages–-well, he hadn’t actually eaten _anything_ in ages. Why’d he been holed up in the Imagination when he could have had _this?_

“Oh no!” Patton dropped his fork. “We forgot the Happy Birthday song!”

Virgil swore under his breath. “I was hoping you’d forget about that.”

“Come on!” Patton pouted. “The Happy Birthday song is important, Virgil!”

“Much as I hate to admit it, it _is_ a classic part of a birthday celebration.” Logan sighed. “Shall we get it over with?”

So they sang the song. And yes, Virgil’s voice was barely a whisper. And yes, Logan recited the lyrics instead of singing them. And yes, Patton giggled his way through half of it. And yes, Janus changed the lyrics to ‘Awful Birthday’ and Remus sang the ‘You Look Like a Monkey’ version instead. But they were singing. For him. They were doing something they wouldn’t have chosen…for _Roman._

Roman smiled into his cake and tried very hard not to cry.

But he might have cried a little bit when Patton hugged him tight around the waist. And he might have buried his face in Patton’s shoulder and hugged back just as tight.

After the cake was polished off, leaving a messy kitchen and several wads of cake stuck to the ceiling, they moved to the couch. Virgil handed him a pair of red-and-gold headphones.

“I dunno, I thought you would like some. You can listen to Disney or whatever.” He tugged at his sleeves. “It’s stupid.”

Roman gave Virgil a quick hug. “They’re perfect!”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah!”

Next, Patton handed him a huge pile of frosted cookies. “I…well, I didn’t really know what to get you, and I’ve been stressbaking a lot recently, so here!”

Roman picked up one of the cookies. It had white frosting with a red slash of icing and golden crown sprinkles. “Padre, these look absolutely scrumptious!”

“Glad you like them!” Patton gave him another hug. “Happy birthday, kiddo!”

Roman smiled and put the headphones and the cookies on the coffee table. His friends were so nice! “So, do you guys want to watch movies, or-–”

“Actually.” Roman looked at Logan, who was tapping his fingers on the couch. “I, well, I got you a gift as well.”

“Wait, seriously?” Roman laughed. “Specs, you didn’t have to-–”

“I wanted to.” Logan held out a small binder. “You wrote me that screenplay for Christmas, remember? So I…I wrote a story for you in return. A fairy tale rewrite. Filled with gay Disney princes. The writing quality is probably not up to your usual standard, but-–”

“Logan,” Roman breathed, his eyes shining. “You made that? For _me?_ ”

“Well, yes.” Logan shifted. “I…I do value you, highly, as a coworker and a–-friend. I apologize for not always making that clear.”

Roman lunged forward and hugged Logan hard. Logan froze, but after a second relaxed into the touch, awkwardly patting Roman on the back.

Roman hummed into Logan’s shoulder. “Love you, nerd.”

“I–I love you too.” Logan chuckled softly. “Prep.”

Patton pressed his hands to his mouth and squealed loudly.

“Alright.” Roman extricated himself. “ _Now_ we watch movies.”

“No, not yet.” Patton turned to stare at Janus. “We have something else to do, _don’t we,_ Janus?”

Janus hissed under his breath.

“Look,” Roman said, “you don’t have to say anything, I get it, I was mean and I’m sorry–-”

“I’m sorry too,” Janus said, staring at the floor.

Roman paused, his mouth gaping.

“I lashed out and hurt you, and I’ve manipulated you in the past so you had every right to feel the way you did.” Janus reached into his cloak and pulled out a small glass jar. “So…Patton and the others helped me make this.”

Roman took it. Inside were bits of colored paper, filling it to the brim. “Um…cool! What is it?”

“Take a heart,” Patton said, nodding at the lid.

Roman opened the lid and pulled out a piece of paper. It was cut into the shape of a heart and it was a light blue. On it said ‘You always make me smile!’

“Uh-–” Roman definitely looked stupid, his mouth still open. He picked up another heart, this one dark blue. ‘Your ideas are the backbone of Thomas’ career.’

Yellow heart. ‘You’re a stellar actor.’

Purple heart. ‘You always try to fix your mistakes.’

Green heart? ‘You’re fun to stab.’ 

“They’re compliments,” Logan explained, his voice soft. “We don’t usually do a very good job of communicating our appreciation of you, and you struggle with believing what we say, so we made you that.”

Roman stared at the jar, heavy in his hands, filled with hearts. It must have taken them _days_ to fill it. And…they’d done that without prompting. Because they wanted to help him.

“Guys, I–-” Roman laughed deliriously. “I don’t know what to say–”

“You don’t have to say anything.” Virgil shrugged. “I get it. Words are hard.”

Roman laughed again. “Guys… _thank_ you. I love you so much.”

“We love you too,” Patton said, his eyes soft.

“Yeah,” Virgil agreed. Logan nodded, Janus rolled his eyes with a smirk, and Remus grinned.

“I–” Roman shook his head in wonder, placing the jar carefully on the coffee table. “Disney sleepover? Sleeping Beauty for me, Big Hero Six for Logan, Winnie the Pooh for Patton, Black Cauldron for Virgil, Aladdin for Janus?”

“Aladdin?” Janus asked.

“Lying and deceiving their way to the top. Seemed appropriate.”

“Touche.”

“And…” Roman glanced at Remus, who had been uncharacteristically quiet. “Bro? What movie do you want?”

“I’ll watch anything,” Remus said, waving a hand.

“Seriously.” Roman gestured at the TV. “Whatever movie you want, we can watch it. As long as it’s Disney.”

“I–” Remus chewed on his lip. “Sorry for…not getting you anything.”

“What are you talking about?” Roman laughed. “You’re the one who dragged me out here! If it weren’t for you, I’d still be sulking in my room! That’s a pretty great gift, Remus.”

Remus scrunched up his face. “Ugh. You’re a sap.”

“You love it.” Roman snapped several pillows and blankets over the other Sides. Patton clapped his hands and they were in onesies. Even Logan, though he shifted his gaze to the floor. Janus, dressed in a snake onesie, glared at each of them, daring them to comment.

“You look adorable!” Patton said brightly.

“Whatever,” Janus muttered, his face flushing.

“So.” Roman smiled at his brother. “What’ll it be?”

Remus brushed off his octopus onesie. “I…I like Black Cauldron too.”

“Then we’ll put it on first!” Roman glanced around. “Popcorn?”

Logan snapped his fingers. “Got it.”

“Great.” Roman let his gaze linger on his friends–his family–curled up together in the blankets. “Let’s go.”

And as the Disney logo played on the screen, as Remus chucked popcorn at Virgil, as Logan already geared up to list every factual inaccuracy in the film, as Patton snuggled with a stuffed frog, as Janus leaned into Remus’ arm and Remus let him, Roman curled up on the couch and closed his eyes. He hadn’t slept for a while, after all. And he knew these movies by heart.

Sure, reality was harsh and cruel and cold sometimes. But this was so much better than anything he could possibly imagine.

And the next day he joined Thomas again, thinking through script ideas and even singing, just a bit.

“It hasn’t been the same without you,” Thomas said. “I’ve missed this.”

“Yeah,” Roman said, smiling. “So have I.”


End file.
